Trolley-harp.



PATENTBD JULY 9, NOT

J. HENSLEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIon. I

JOHN HENSLEY, OF HUNTINGTON, INDIANA.

TROLLEY-HARP.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN HnNsLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Huntington, in the county of Huntington and State ofIndiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trolley-Harps, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in trolley harps.

The object of my invention is to provide a trolley harp having a guardto prevent the trolley wheel from coming down 011 top of the wire whentrying to replace it after it has left the wire.

Another object of my invention is to provide a trolley harp having aninwardly turned guard at the outer sides of the harp and extendingupwardly, so as to prevent the trolley wire from coming in contact withthe contact spring, when the wheel leaves the wire or in replacing thewheel 011 the wire when the wheel has left the said wire.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide a spring contactbetween the arms of the harp and the hub of the wheel, whereby a betterelectrical contact is made.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure l is a perspective view of myimproved harp, showing the trolley wheel mounted therein; Fig. 2 is atransverse vertical sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalvertical sectional view; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of thecontact springs detached.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 represents my improved harp which isconstructed in the usual form and having the arms 2 and 3. The outerends of the said arms are provided with openings 4 in which is mountedthe shaft 5 of the trolley wheel 6, the said shaft being held againstrotation within the arms by means of the cotter pins '7, this being thepreferred form of holding the shaft against rotation and longitudinalmovement. The outer ends of said arms are also provided with guardsextending upward and inwardly turned so as to prevent the trolley wirefrom coming in contact with the contact spring when the wheel leaves thewire, or in replacing said wheel-when it has left the wire. i

The harp 1, adjacent to the inner ends of the arms 2 and 3, is providedwith an obliquely arranged arm 8, which has secured to its outer end thelaterally and upwardly extending members 9 and 10. The upper ends of thesaid members are secured to the arms 2 and 3 adjacent their outer endsleaving space between the members for the free rotation of the trolleywheel. These members extend in 'a downward direction from the lower edgeof the arms and being connected to the arms, 8, form a shield or guardsurrounding the trolley wheel. By this arrangement it will be seen thatwhen Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed 0ct0ber'25,1906- Patented July 9, 1907. Serial No. 340,474.

the wheel jumps the trolley wire and passes upwardly over the same, thewheel cannot engage the upper face of the trolley wire in drawing thepole downwardly to replace the wheel under the trolley wire. It oftenhappens that the wheel is riding on top of the wire when a cross spanwire is reached and the harp will cut or break the wire, and to avoidthis is the object of my guard.

The trolley wheel 6 is loosely mounted upon the shaft 5 and receives orforms an electrical contact through the arms 2 and 3, and in order toform a more perfect contact between the wheel and the harp, I providethe shaft 5 on each side of the trolley wheel with two oppositelyarranged disk-shaped spring contact washers, 11. These washers, asbefore stated, are disk-shaped, having a flat central portion to bearevenly against the hub of the wheel or the arm of the harp. Commencingat the said flat portion and extending radially outwardly to theperiphery of the washers are cut-away portions 12, which form a moreyielding washer. The said washers are arranged in pairs on each side ofthe trolley wheel and have their concave faces abutting and thus theflat straight portion of the two washers bear respectively upon the hubof the wheel and one arm of the harp.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a trolley harp comprising two arms and a wheelmounted between said arms, of dishshaped washers arranged in pairs oneach side of the wheel and having their concaved faces abutting, and aframe carried on the lower side of the arms of the harp, and inwardlyturned guards on the upper side of said arms adapted to prevent thetrolley wire from coming into contact with the lower side of the trolleywheel and the waslr ers, respectively.

2. The combination with a trolley harp comprising two on the shaftbetween the arms, of dish-shaped washers arranged in pairs on the shafton each side of the wheel and having their concaved faces abutting,substantially asdescrihed.

3. The combination with a trolley arms, a shaft mounted in said arms,mounted on the shaft between the 'arms, of dish-shaped washers arrangedin pairs on the shalt on each side of the wheel and having theirconcaved faces abutting, the said washers having their flattened centralportions hearing against the wheel andthe arms of the harp, and the saidwashers also having slots commencing at the flattened portion andextending radially through the periphery of the washer.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnessesv harp comprising two JOHN HENSLEY.

